Solo Ascent via the NW Ridge Route. The two summit block pitches are loose - the first one is Class 4 and the second YDS 5.4. Roping up with a partner wouldn't be a bad idea. The approach is long but scenic.

Left Quito at 4 AM, got our bus stuck in a ditch (required pushing), good weather, long hike (the approach seems to take forever, no good way to park anywhere close). Up the final wall with a fixed line and rappelled down. Lots of rockfall on the rappel, several near-misses with head-sized rocks. Back to the bus well after dark.

Just amazing. Started from the north at around 3,400 meters. Had good weather all day. The drop off on the southwest side of the summit is huge. This area was just incredible. Good views of Quilindaña, Tungurahua erupting, and Cotopaxi. Highly recommend.

Climbed with Rob (HOL). We hiked in a middle of a thunderstorm the day before after summiting Ruminahui.

Even though we started at 6 am with good weather I knew a very bad storm will hit Sincholagua by late morning. So I tried to rush up Rob a bit. By the time we reached the base of the two main summits I thought about summiting the northwestern one instead of the main one. It'd take us at least 2 more hours to reach the main one from where we were at.

Cloudy at the top, but it cleared up from time to time.

Got back to the ridge. It hailed and thundered not far from where we were. We ran down from the ridge. Lightning stroke very close from where I was.

It took me only ten minutes to get down from the ridge. Rob and I met at the trailhead 50 minutes later. The whole National Park was covered by hail minutes later.

Climbed with Anna (RUS). We started our hike to the camping site from Cotopaxi National Park North entrance (south western ridge); at the Rio Pita Bridge which door’s was locked.

Hiked up through thick páramo vegetation until we got to the 4WD track. It rained on us from time to time. An approaching thunderstorm pushed us to set camp at 4,000 m (13,120 ft) instead of at the base of the upper ridge camping spot, 300 m higher.

We pushed for the summit the next day at 6:00 am. Dense fog all the way up through the upper ridge to the base of Sincholagua. Extremely windy, it was hard to keep ourselves straight up and moving.

I climbed up followed by Anna. It was necessary to mark the route with ribbons (which I always carry w/me). There are cairns here and there and it’s hard to know which route is the right one.

We scrambled a few steep rock walls (Class 4), very loose rocks!. Got to the tinny summit (4,873 m / 15,988 ft) at 9:30 am. It was really windy, foggy and raining. But we were so happy of being up there.

Got back to the tent by the same route by 11:30 am. We took another route down from the western flanks of Sincholagua, where we bushwhacked, tried to avoid the cattle and crossed a couple swampy areas. Got right on time to Loreto, where we took a bus to Machachi.